Our new manager Sam Allardyce insists that nothing less than promotion to The Premiership will be an acceptable return from his first season in charge of The Hammers.

West Ham United’s 14th full-time manager was installed as the successor to Avram Grant in June.

Acknowledging that more players will have to leave to balance the books, Big Sam feels that he has a squad capable of achieving that magical instant return to the Premier League.

“No one else can put any more expectations and pressure on than me,” he told the Independent on Sunday. “I haven’t come down here to spend a long time down in the Championship.

“I’ve come to win the club promotion and get myself where I’ve been for the last 10 years, and that’s managing in the top league in the world.

“You’re happy that that type of talent is moving a step down to try to get itself back up. Kevin Nolan and Matt Taylor have the same ambition as me: to spend as little time as possible in the Championship. But we’re not taking it for granted that we’re going to get promoted.”

However Allardyce accepts that West Ham will be forced to cut costs and squad numbers following relegation from the Premier League.

“It will be a tougher division,” he said. “It’s going to be damned hard work over a marathon season of 46 games. We have to perform at a consistent level and make sure we’re always in a winning frame of mind.

“The club was in despair; relegation leaves a club traumatised. You’ve got to get over the trauma and back to positive thinking. You win a game of football as much with your mind as with your ability.”